Carrot top pesto is waiting in the wings thanks to inspiration from Johnny & Gina. With the onset of spring the planting and transplanting volume increased, and now harvesting and processing are added to the task list.
A major point to note is that the carrots took four months to harvest, instead of the three mentioned on the packet. That could be due to soil or weather or both. My job is to alter the schedule during winter so that it allows for that extra time. The sowing to harvest may well only take three months in milder seasons, time will tell.
I sow about a one metre long row of carrots each fortnight. If harvest is after 4 months that is roughly 8 fortnights, which means I need room for 8 metres of carrots growing to have them ready all year round… Sobering statistics when you think of all the other plants I need to make room for aswell. This living experience is invaluable if you intend to get realistic about feeding your family – the reason I’m doing this in the first place.
I must have started about 60 or 70 pak choi plants, and I haven’t had a single one come to any kind of result. Slugs have decimated them, or they bolted to seed. The salad bar is ruthless with its selection standards. I’ll finish the seed packet and then come up with a replacement – spinach or tatsoi are current favourites.
In order to clear my workbench in the garage to plant seed I had to get onto the buckets of dried out plants waiting for that rainy day to save my own seed. I now have oodles of mustard seed, and also rocket and tatsoi. When the time is right I’ll be spreading mustard all over the rest of the garden again. Bee magnets.
Until next fortnight, here’s to some more happy harvesting!
